diaspora

wow, that plan cincinnati website is terrible.

i agree that they're goofy...but they provide more mobility without creating the distance and barriers between cops and citizens that patrol cars and horses do. another alternative is bike cops. All of these have similar problems, you can't chase a subject all that well with any of these...and you can't really leave any of these alone to continue pursuit.

i disagree. horses do not build a trust, in fact they are meant to intimidate; which is why they are so good at crowd control. They raise the officer up and put an extremely powerful animal below them that can crush a person. If you want to build trust between citizens and police then walking patrols and segways are better tools.

i'm a big supporter of unions...and i find that story funny as hell.

absolutely, i would not be all that supportive of my department if they felt that the horses were more important than regular cops. i mean, mounted police are good for crowd control, but for other stuff? they're just more expensive than a Segway and just as useful.

The issue isn't that the departments are over budget, and no one has said that. They are right on, but the issue is that the revenue for the budget hasn't been coming in as planned. So, even if the department heads are right on with their budgets (and i suspect they are) it doesn't matter. I was shocked when i read the FOP president saying that "it's not our job to balance the budget." I'm pretty sure that the people who's job it is to balance the budget did so...and the police were asked to give up some money and they did so...just so happens that when the FOP was asked to help out they said no. So, at that point there wasn't much recourse for the administration. No one asked the FOP President to balance the budget. if i were a cop who just got laid off i'd be pretty pissed at my fellow FOP members for voting down any concessions.

The only reality show i watched is called Solitary. i don't think i get it now since it's on the Game Show network. Other than that, reality tv sucks a fatty.

personally, i don't understand the logic of the fire union. No cuts to staff, no closing of fire houses. It can't get much better than that. I'd be interested to see how much the public safety services take out of the general fund.

I've been told that District 2 is the largest of the police districts in Cincinnati. Covering from Evanston down to California up to Roselawn and Kennedy Heights. Maybe Westwood has more population as a neighborhood, but i believe District 2 has more people than District 3.

There are too many obstacles in this day and age. The school system would be huge, and it would defeat the purpose of what i think they are trying to do if they stayed in the CPS. What would happen to all the fire houses and police stations and other things that are owned by the City? would Westwood have to buy them? As someone who doesn't live there but does live in the City i'd be a little pissed if my tax dollars went to pay for things that are now in another city.

here's a pretty interesting column about the canadian auto workers. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/article984750.ece

Thanks Sherman, that's interesting stuff.

not to mention that artists and self employed architects along with drug addicts don't leave you with a very healthy tax base. It's not really an anomaly...these sorts of tourist destinations are in lots of cities and they are pretty hollow and don't present the real soul of the city.

My experience with that was up in Michigan where i know they set the speed limits (at least on surface streets) based on the speed at which traffic flows. There are times when communities campaign to get them lowered because it makes them feel safer (i can think of one instance where a prominent family crusaded against upping a speed limit on a busy road because some 30 years before their young son was killed there). Jeffery, smoother flow is one thing, but stopping a loaded truck that is now going faster than before is more important. The trucks on 75 are quite aggressive and already travel at 65 mph. They don't leave enough distance between the cars in front of them. Didn't a bunch of highway safety experts come out and say that when this happens highway fatalities go up?

Remember the controversy over whether or not the TSA screeners would become federal employees or not? Well, it came down to Republicans not wanting more people on the federal payroll, in a government union that always gave thier money to the Democratic party. No, i don't remember that. But, if that's true, then that's really pathetic.

as far as i know most speed limits are set at a rate which most drivers find acceptable...like, if 75% of drivers will travel at 70 mph then that's where they set the speed limit. I think this is a practical solution to this matter...at least, that's how i think they do it on surface streets, i'm not positive on the freeway. I'm against the trucks going 65 only because trucks take a lot longer to stop. many already travel this fast and may now go faster without allowing more space between the traffic ahead and it could lead to a lot more fatalities. Isn't this why they dropped the speed down in the first place? Besides, i always like a truck going nice and slow so i know that there will be a break in traffic ahead of it so i can pass easier. I think more trucks will get cut off because of this. Safety is a big concern Mr. Pence, and minimum speed limits must be adhered to. Freeways are not inaccessible to older drivers with more limited skills...as long as they stay to the right and travel within the posted limits. Now, i may drive a bit faster, but i'm from Michigan, so i think it's expected.

one thing i find to be interesting is that many anti-union folks also are on the anti-government bandwagon. They consistently say that because of government protection (which is opposed to their world view) we don't need the unions any longer. Many people have bad experiences with a particular union and make blanket judgments which is fair( personal experience is an important factor in any judgment) but is still a generalization. Hell, many of us have terrible experiences with private companies and we don't make blanket judgments about all private industry. Both have their goods and bads, neither side should be trusted completely. All i know is that i'm not going to trust a private business who's only motivation is profit to keep a worker's best interests in mind.

I hope that the Kennedy connector is completed before this project. i'm not sure Ridge can sustain much more traffic.

Cities Lose Out on Road Funds From Federal Stimulus http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/09/us/09projects.html?_r=1&ref=politics Two-thirds of the country lives in large metropolitan areas, home to the nation’s worst traffic jams and some of its oldest roads and bridges. But cities and their surrounding regions are getting far less than two-thirds of federal transportation stimulus money. full article at link

(disclaimer: i'm not in a union, but did grow up in a strong union household) i don't believe that Unions are killing us...they still offer protection for workers that wouldn't exist if not for the unions themselves. Sure, there are anti-discrimination laws out there and a fired employee could sue for wrongful termination...but proving those things in court is no simple task. and what worker could afford to sit at home and wait out the results of a lawsuit that could take years? Unions still offer protection in an era when companies show no loyalty to their employees. Personally, i am torn about the Cincinnati situation. One one hand, a few unpaid days off is better than not having a job...but, why should they take unpaid time if it's possible that they'll just get laid off anyway?

Supporters like myself would love to take public transit, but the system as it is right now is not set up in such a way that it's feasible. I have taken the bus, but my job requires me to be able to drive to various locations sometime. And my wife works in various offices and sometimes we carpool when she's working near my office. will a better transit system (including rail) help me solve all those issues? no, probably not. But i still think it's best for the region.

you want a movie in which a city plays a lead role? well, the movie that best typifies this would probably be City of God. It takes place in the slums (favelas) of Rio De Janeiro and the city and culture is a massive influence. It's a fantastic movie and should be on anyone's must see list.

It seems like it's never the right time to do anything progressive around here. I mean, by the time construction even begins on this damn streetcar the recession will likely be on the way out. The operational money could be paid for by the development that goes in around it, although a lot of that development will be spurred by tax deferrals as well as the streetcar. There will still be a net positive for the City in the end. Progress is bad, apparently.

i don't think anyone is disputing the numbers they used, merely the methodology that allowed them to come to the conclusion. their process allowed them to come up with the results they desired. Unfortunately it doesn't provide the whole picture of the neighborhood. Of course, the Enquirer didn't do anything to explain that.

My keg runs Goose Island 312 right now, it's a really fantastic wheat. I'm also drinking some beers that a friend brought down from Chicago. New Belgium's Sunshine, Mothership Wit, and Fat Tire. Fat Tire is probably my favorite beer, although possibly because i don't get to have it often. I'm hoping that will change, as i understand that New Belgium now has a distribution deal in Indiana. I think New Belgium and New Holland are my favorite breweries.